How Odious to God is the Passionate Desire to be Esteemed.

Posted onAugust 31, 2018|Comments Off on How Odious to God is the Passionate Desire to be Esteemed.

How Odious to God is the Passionate Desire to be Esteemed.

PRAYER BEFORE MEDITATION.

My God, I firmly believe that Thou art here present. I acknowledge that on account of my many sins I am utterly unworthy to appear before Thy sacred countenance. Yet, confiding in Thy infinite goodness and mercy, I venture to address Thee, to call upon Thy holy name, and meditate upon Thy commandments, in order that I may acquire a better knowledge of Thy holy will, and accomplish it with more fidelity. Wherefore enlighten my understanding that I may perceive what I ought to do or leave undone for the promotion of Thy glory and my own salvation; at the same time excite my will, that I may repent with my whole heart of my past sins, and resolve for the future to do all that Thou requirest of me. Grant me above all to know Jesus, my divine Teacher and Guide, more clearly, that I may love Him more dearly, and consequently labor, struggle and suffer with greater generosity and self-sacrifice in imitation of His example. Holy Mary, Mother of God and my Mother, show Jesus to me now, and let me study thy divine Son to the salvation of my soul. Holy Guardian Angel, keep far from me all distracting thoughts; my patron saint, come to my assistance. Amen.

How Odious to God is the Passionate Desire to be Esteemed.

Esteem and glory are things which belong exclusively to God (I. Tim. i. 17), and the poor and miserable creature who dares to pretend to them incurs His hatred, like the thief who attempts to steal the property of another. God created all things for His glory (Deut xxvi. 19). He created man’s intelligence that it might praise Him, the heart of man that it might love Him, the world to proclaim His providence, the skies to declare His glory. To wish, then, to attract to ourselves esteem and praise is to profane vessels destined to contain nothing but the glory of God; it is to pervert the order and the plan of His providence; it is to frustrate the end which He proposed to Himself in giving a being to intelligent creatures. This is why God resolved to abase everything which exalts itself (Baruch v. 7); and this is why Jesus Christ said: “Woe to you when men shall bless you” if you take pleasure in what they say, and “blessed shall you be when men shall hate you” (Luke vi. 26, 22). “Take heed,” He continues, “that you do not your justice before men, to be seen by them” (Matt. vi. i). When you give alms, try to ignore it yourself, and let God alone know it. When you fast or perform good works, take care that men do not perceive it, even if you were obliged— a strange precaution, the singularity of which shows us how much we ought to fear the esteem of men—even should it be necessary, in order to hide the thing from them, to “anoint your head and wash your face” (Matt. vi. 17). Could God tell us more plainly how He reproves those who prefer human glory to the glory of God? (I. John xii. 43.)

PRAYER AFTER MEDITATION.

My God, I give Thee heartfelt thanks for all the graces and all the light Thou hast conferred on me during this meditation. Pardon me all the negligence and the distractions of which I have been guilty, and give me strength to carry out the resolutions that I have made. Fortify me, that from henceforth I may diligently practise this virtue . . . avoid this fault . . . perform this action . . . to Thy honor. Help me to do this, sweet Virgin Mary; and if I ever forget my good resolutions, I entreat my Angel Guardian to recall them to my memory. Amen.

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August Devotion: The Most Pure Heart of Mary

O Heart of Mary, Mother of God, and our Mother; Heart most worthy of love, in which the adorable Trinity is ever well pleased, worthy of the veneration and love of all the angels and of all men; Heart most like to the Heart of Jesus, of which thou art the perfect image; Heart full of goodness, ever compassionate toward our miseries; deign to melt our icy hearts and grant that they may be wholly changed into the likeness of the Heart of Jesus, our divine Saviour. Pour into them the love of thy virtues, and kindle in them that divine fire with which thou thyself dost ever burn. In thee let Holy Church find a safe shelter; protect her and be her dearest refuge, her tower of strength, impregnable against every assault of her enemies. Be thou the way which leads to Jesus, and the channel, through which we receive all graces needful for our salvation. Be our refuge in time of trouble, our solace in the midst of trial, our strength against temptation, our haven in persecution, our present help in every danger, and especially at the hour of death, when all hell shall let loose against us its legions to snatch away our souls, at that dread moment, that hour so full of fear, whereon our eternity depends. Ah, then most tender virgin, make us to feel the sweetness of thy motherly heart, and the might of thy intercession with Jesus, and open to us a safe refuge in that very fountain of mercy whence we may come to praise Him with thee in paradise, world without end. Amen.

An indulgence of 7 years once on any day of the month; A plenary indulgence on the usual conditions, if this act of devotion is repeated daily for entire month (Apostolic Brief Dec. 21, 1901).

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The Holy Cross Publications blog is provided free of charge, there costs associated with making it available and with operating this site. Your support to offset these costs are greatly appreciated.
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